The governing Islamists rebuffed a plan by their prime minister to replace the government after unrest erupted over the killing of an opposition leader, deepening the worst crisis since the country's 2011 revolution. Protesters set ablaze the local headquarters of the main Islamist Ennahda party and a police station in the provincial town of Kelibia. Police fired tear gas to scatter protesters in Tunis.

The Palestinians responded coolly Thursday to a White House announcement that President Barack Obama will bring no new peace initiatives to the region next month, saying there is no hope for reviving serious negotiations unless the U.S. leader is personally involved. The comments reflected Palestinians' sense of desperation after four years of deadlocked peace efforts with Israel.

JAPAN: Russian intrusion claimed

The Defense Ministry said two Russian fighter jets briefly intruded Thursday into Japanese airspace as the country was holding rallies demanding that Moscow return a group of disputed islands. The Foreign Ministry lodged a protest with the Russian Embassy in Tokyo. Russia denied any border violation. The incident occurred as Japan was observing "Northern Territories Day," when it holds annual rallies urging Moscow to return the islands, seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II.

H4>BRITAIN: More reports of horse meat

Some beef lasagna products recalled from British stores contained more than 60 percent horse meat, food safety authorities said Thursday. It was the latest revelation in a growing scandal surrounding the use of horse meat and the mislabeling of meat products in Europe. Frozen-food company Findus recalled the beef lasagna meals earlier this week after French supplier Comigel raised concerns that the products didn't "conform to specification."